Charles Aurelius Smith

For other people of the same name, see Charles Smith (disambiguation).

Charles Aurelius Smith
91st Governor of South Carolina
In office January 14, 1915 – January 19, 1915
Lieutenant	None
Preceded by	Coleman Livingston Blease
Succeeded by	Richard Irvine Manning III
67th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
In office January 17, 1911 – January 15, 1915
Governor	Coleman Livingston Blease
Preceded by	Thomas Gordon McLeod
Succeeded by	Andrew J. Bethea
Personal details
Born	January 22, 1861 Hertford County, North Carolina
Died	April 1, 1916 (aged 55) Baltimore, Maryland
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Fannie L. Byrd
Profession	Businessman, Banker
Religion	Baptist

Charles Aurelius Smith (January 22, 1861 – April 1, 1916) was the 91st Governor of South Carolina from January 14, 1915, to January 19, 1915. His term of five days stands as the shortest for any governor in South Carolina.

Born on January 22, 1861, in Hertford County, North Carolina, Smith attended Wake Forest University and graduated in 1882. He moved to Timmonsville, South Carolina, the following year and began pursuing banking and business interests, eventually becoming the president of several banks in South Carolina. In addition, Smith served as president of the South Carolina Baptist Association and was a trustee of Furman University and Greenville Women's College.^[1]

Smith was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1910 and became the Lieutenant Governor a year later in 1911. Governor Cole Blease resigned five days before the end of his second term on January 14, 1915, so that he did not have to attend the inauguration of Richard Irvine Manning III.^[2] Smith succeeded to the governorship and only performed ceremonial functions during his five days in office.^[3]

After serving as governor, Smith moved to Baltimore where he died on April 1, 1916. He was buried at Byrd Cemetery in Timmonsville and a large monument marks his grave.

He and his wife, Fannie L. Byrd, had nine children. Smith was a baptist.

References

1. ^ Charles A. Smith, National Governors Association^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Charles Aurelius Smith, Find a Grave, April 4, 2008. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on September 22, 2011.
3. ^ Remembering South Carolina's five-day Governor, Cotton Boll Conspiracy, January 12, 2011. Southcarolina1670.wordpress.com (1915-01-14). Retrieved on September 22, 2011.

External links

• SCIway Biography of Charles Aurelius Smith
• NGA Biography of Charles Aurelius Smith
• Remembering South Carolina's five-day Governor, Cotton Boll Conspiracy, January 12, 2011

Political offices
Preceded by Coleman L. Blease	Governor of South Carolina 1915	Succeeded by Richard Irvine Manning III

Persondata
Name	Smith, Charles Aurelius
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	January 22, 1861
Place of birth	Hertford County, North Carolina
Date of death	April 1, 1916
Place of death	Baltimore, Maryland